AppDynSys : Strange Attractors : Rikitake

Many 3-D continuous-time systems exhibit chaotic dynamics in the form of an attractor (called *strange* by some). This model -- the Rikitake model of a pair of charged spinning disks -- has somewhat random-seeming flow patterns over short time scales, but if you let orbits evolve long enough, everything seems to converge onto an *attractor* with fascinating features. There are two equilibria (with spiral-sink behavior) and a lot of beautiful structure in the attractor.